Alright, so here we go. Jump back with me a decade or two, maybe more? Hard to say. We’re talking skateboarding legends here. Not like, your neighborhood kid who does a kickflip and thinks they’re cool, but the OGs who made skateboarding more than just a thing you saw in video games—though, to be fair, those games were pretty dope.
So, there’s this epicness about being in the original games, according to Elissa Steamer. Honestly, “epic” might be an understatement. She’s the first lady skater you could play as in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Changed the game, seriously. Life-altering, she says—and who am I to disagree? I mean, can you imagine being that stoked about something? The kind of thing you look back at and go, “WOW!”
And then Rodney Mullen drops in. Guy invented the kickflip. Like, literally. Think about that for a moment. The honor was overwhelming when Tony came knocking, but he admits he had no clue how big this thing was gonna get. First tour after the game’s release? Dude was practically surfing atop the tour van, signing autographs while folks rocked it back and forth. Mind-blowing, right? The frenzy was real.
Mullen’s still vibing about how the game shook things up. Suddenly, skaters weren’t just randoms you’d glance at passing by. It swelled the whole scene, like layers of trick epicness and, oh yeah, a bit of societal nod too. Parents started warming up to the skateboarding thing. Maybe it was just kids being kids, finding space to fit in somewhere. And Tony’s game? It nailed the culture—music, art, that whole vibe. It’s wild being understood like that.
Now we’re ready for another round. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 is unrolling this July. A little nostalgia, a flipside of adrenaline. The skaters from the OG Tony 3 and 4 are back in action, hitting the pavement all over again. Talk about a ride down memory lane. I can almost hear the vinyl floorboards creaking under those wheels…
